A tragic incident unfolded in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, as a domestic dispute took a devastating turn early Sunday morning. In a harrowing turn of events, a man set fire to his family home in Lancaster Township, ultimately leading to his own death and causing severe injuries to multiple family members.
Simon Hen, aged 46, arrived at his home on Wilderness Road around 2:30 a.m. feeling agitated due to his imminent separation from his 42-year-old wife, as stated in a press release by Lancaster Township police. Present inside the house were Hen’s two adult sons, his teenage daughter, and a teenage female guest.
He allegedly went to the second floor and started pouring gasoline into the corridor and his daughter’s bedroom. His ranting woke up his sons, who witnessed him dousing the area and himself in gasoline. Despite their efforts to grab a lighter away from him, Hen was able to ignite the gasoline, police added.
The fire that broke out caused severe burns to Hen’s sons and the 19-year-old guest. Fortunately, Hen’s wife and daughter only suffered minor burns and were able to escape the burning house. All of them were taken to Lancaster General Hospital, and later, the sons and the guest were transferred to the Lehigh Valley Burn Center for additional treatment, according to the police.
The Lancaster County coroner conducted an autopsy on Hen and determined that his cause of death was smoke inhalation and thermal burns. The manner of his death was ruled as suicide.
Victim services of Lancaster County have been informed and are ready to provide assistance to the family affected by the devastating fire that destroyed their home and belongings.
The authorities are currently investigating the incident.
